Journey of a Thousand Heroes
by Koyuki
Summary: <html><head></head>Everyone has their own journey to make. The end is the same - the middle is what counts. A collection of short and unrelated stories in various Pokemon verses. Next up: Lance/Kris - Lance is always with her, even though she is never with him. Game-verse</html>
1. And it Would Be Enough

A bit of an explanation: this is mainly a collection of unrelated drabbles and flash fics which are so short I feel like would be ridiculous to publish as separate stories, so they'll all go in here. They will feature a variety of characters. Most of them will be game-verse, but I'll drop a few anime- and Special-verse fics once in a while. Most stories are 100-1000 words long.

So without further ado, I present to you:

**Journey of a Thousand Heroes**  
><em>a Pokemon flash fic collection.<em>

A/N: this was originally written for Pokeprompts at LiveJournal's prompt 001: 5x5 (put your player on shuffle, write a fic for each of the first five songs you get.)

Characters/Pairing: variations on Kotone/Hibiki/Silver

Disclaimer: Pokemon is property of Nintendo.

* * *

><strong>And It Would Be Enough<strong>

1. Psychobabble, Frou Frou

_If love is surrender  
>Then whose war is it anyway?<em>

"What the fuck? How did you get my number?" Silver yelled when he realized who it was on the phone.

"From Hibiki," the voice from the other side told him cheerfully.

"How did _he_ get my number?"

He could almost hear her blink over the phone.

"Um, aren't you guys friends? Shouldn't he have your number?"

Friends was one way to put it. Silver rubbed his temple. He never gave Hibiki his number, but of course his rival would have it. It probably served him right though, considering how careless Silver had be getting lately.

"What do you want?" Silver snapped at his phone. He regretted it immediately when imagined Kotone's wounded puppy face.

"I was just... I was only wondering if you wanted to hang out," Kotone said, sounding as sad as he imagined her to be.

"W-what?" Silver blushed. That he had not been expecting.

"Hibiki told me... he told me you liked me!" She sounded close to tears. "C-clearly he was wrong. Sorry for wasting your time." She sniffled.

"Wait!" he yelled into the phone before she could hang up on him.

There was a long moment of silence.

"...yes?" Kotone finally said.

"He wasn't wrong."

"Huh?"

"I said, he wasn't wrong."

"...say it again," she whispered.

"You heard me the first two times!"

"Yeah, but..." She sounded happy. Silver sighed and gave in.

"Hibiki wasn't wrong. I do like you."

If it made Kotone happy, then giving in wasn't that bad.

-o-o-o-

2. It's So Easy, Linda Ronstadt (Brokeback Mountain Soundtrack)

_People tell me love's for fools  
>Here I go breaking all the rules<em>

"Why do you like me?" Silver asked as Hibiki played with his hair.

"Hm?" Hibiki replied, distracted.

"Why do you like me? I'm grumpy all the time. I'm mean. I'm a thief! For heaven's sake, I stole my starter from Professor Elm. Why do you still like me?"

Hibiki paused and licked his lips thoughtfully. Then he answered rather carefully.

"I think your personality is cute," he said. Silver snorted. Right. "And I see you do nice things all the time, when you think no one's looking. I saw you help a nice old lady cross the street the other day, remember? Because I know you get embarrassed when people know these things about you."

Silver frowned.

"There are so many sides of you that no one ever gets to see besides me. The fact that you'll only show them to me makes me feel special. And I want to make you feel special too."

"What makes you think you're special? How do you know you other people don't get to see those sides of me?"

"Well, do they?"

"..."

"See? It's things like that that make me like you so much."

Silver growled, but Hibiki laughed and hugged his boyfriend close. The fact that Silver half-heartedly pretended to struggle (but then gave up after a moment) made Hibiki love him all that much more.

-o-o-o-

3. Five Loaves and Two Fishes, Corrine May

_Take my fears and my inhibitions  
>All my burdens, my ambitions<br>You can use it all  
>No gift is too small<em>

Kotone looked down sadly at her empty lunchbox and sighed. She tried to be strong, she tried so hard, but... She was only nine. Was it too much to want to be kid still?

"Hey, Kotone. What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" Hibiki popped up right beside her.

"No, I'm fine," Kotone lied, snapping her lunchbox shut. "I already ate."

Hibiki frowned. "I didn't see you eat."

"Well, I did. I'm on a diet. Girls do that kind of thing, you know. Boys don't understand."

"You got that right," Hibiki snorted. Still, he looked uncomfortable. "Are you sure? I have some -"

"I'm sure!" Kotone yelled, and Hibiki jumped. "Yes, I'm sure," she repeated, more quietly this time.

Hibiki looked at her worriedly, but he let it go.

Kotone went back to staring at her empty lunchbox. Like she needed to be reminded of how poor her family was.

o

"Where's your lunch, Kotone?"

Kotone glared at Hibiki. "I'm still on my diet," she said rather testily.

Hibiki bit his lip. He seemed unsure, but went ahead. "My mom packed me too much food. Says I'm a growing boy and all." Hibiki rolled his eyes. "I, um, I can't. Finish it all. I know you're on a diet and all, but could you help me? Finish it?"

Kotone stared at Hibiki. Hibiki had turned around and was digging out a sandwich for her.

"Thank you," Kotone whispered when he handed it to her.

It would be a secret, just between the two of them.

-o-o-o-

4. Volcano, Damien Rice

_Volcanoes melt me down  
>She's still too young<br>I kissed your mouth  
>You do not need me<em>

Hibiki should've expected to be pushed away when he tried to kiss Silver, but the fact that he was still hurt.

"Sorry," Hibiki whispered as Silver delicately wiped off his mouth. "I just thought-"

Or he didn't think. He just wanted. That was why he did what he did.

"Don't - don't worry about it," Silver said. "It was nothing. What's a kiss between friends, right?" But it clearly wasn't nothing. If Silver had considered them friends - more than Hibiki had ever hoped for - then he'd royally screwed up.

"Yeah, nothing but a kiss between friends." Hibiki smiled self-depricatingly.

o

"I like her."

Hibiki paused, looking up from organizing his backpack. "Who?" He hoped his voice sounded even.

"Her. Your friend. That girl."

Hibiki swallowed. "Yeah?"

"Do you - do you think she likes me?"

Hibiki shrugged. Silver was eyeing him warily, but with something like hope bubbling under the surface. "I guess. I don't see why not. Actually, yeah. Yeah, I think she does."

Something like a ghost of a smile flittered across Silver's face.

Hibiki hated himself for hoping that she didn't.

o

"I hate you," Silver whispered cruelly, his face buried in Hibiki's shoulder. "I hate you."

Hibiki breathed in, deep and unsteady.

"I hate you, you liar. She loves you. She always has. You're a fucking cruel liar." Silver gripped his arm so hard Hibiki could feel his circulation being cut off. Silver's tears were wet against his shirt.

"I'm sorry," Hibiki told him numbly, though he didn't know if it was the truth or not. "I didn't know."

"Yeah? Well, I still hate you."

Hibiki hugged Silver tenderly, almost as if it were a loving embrace.

This, he thought, it couldn't go on like this forever. Someday, the pressure would blow them all apart.

-o-o-o-

5. You Know My Name, Chris Cornell

_Arm yourself because no one else here will save you  
>The odds will betray you <em>

Hibiki and Kotone looked back for any shadows that were chasing them as Silver pushed them forward from behind.

"Go!" he hissed. "Go already! If you can see them, it'll be too late!"

They ran frantically - through the darkness, through the woods, through ghost towns and down empty roads. They didn't stop until they couldn't recognize anything of their surroundings.

Even then, they still weren't safe.

o

"You shouldn't have -"

"Shut up, Silver," Hibiki snapped. "It's already too late for that."

Kotone rubbed his arm down soothingly. "We'd still - we'd still choose this. To be with you."

Silver choked back a sob.

o

It was the closest call they had yet, the attacks of vicious, powerful Pokemon grazing them, the energy of what had happened still hanging in the air.

"You two can still get away," Silver insisted, desperate. "Just leave already. It's me they're after."

"That's not an option anymore," Hibiki said.

o

They were both afraid when they'd woke up and Silver was gone. They thought he'd left them for their own safety.

Which was stupid. There was always safety in numbers.

Silver came back a few minutes later, looking at them strangely when they burst with relief. He offered them the morsels of food they'd found.

"Thank you, thank you," they'd both said to him in hushed tones.

"That should be my line," Silver replied.

o

It was hard, but they managed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Silver would whisper to them every night, desperate and full of grief. Hibiki wrapped an arm around Silver's waist and Kotone pressed kisses against his temple.

They'd protect Silver from Team Rocket, because Silver protected Hibiki and Kotone from them as well.

Together. They had to stay together. Because they had to make it through together.

And it would be enough. 


	2. Circumnavigate

A/N: Written for a requestee who wanted: Lance/Kris, "she is never coming home."

Characters/Pairings: Lance/Kris, Kris's mom

* * *

><strong>Circumnavigate<strong>

Lance does it because it's the proper, appropriate thing to do, and he likes to think of himself as that kind of person.

Still, he's not sure if he should be surprised by the reaction or not.

"Why are you asking me?" Her mother laughs. "I haven't seen Kris in years." Her tone is light, but Lance would have to be deaf to miss the undertone of nostalgia in her voice.

"You're her mother," he says simply, as if it explains everything. (To him, it does.)

"If it's my blessings you want, then you have them. I hope you will make her happy." Her mother smiles and pats him on the shoulder. "If she wants to marry you, I couldn't stop her if I tried."

-o-

"It's so... big," Kris settles on. He could probably delude himself into thinking that she sounded happy if he wanted to, but he did not. "The closet is bigger than my bedroom," she comments. Lance knows. He saw it that one time, when he had gone to ask her mother.

"I wanted the best. For us." _For you._

"...Thanks." Kris attempts a small smile, but her expression wavers. Now Lance can't even pretend if he tried.

He sighs and grabs her hand, massaging the top of it with the pad of his thumb. "It's a nice house," he tries.

"Yeah. A nice house..." Her voice is absent.

-o-

She doesn't come back. Lance doesn't ask because - Kris is strong and independent, isn't afraid to be, and has wanderlust painted in red letters all over her soul.

He doesn't ask because she lets him have her, as she is. He tries to give her all that he can - his love, this house - but sometimes, it isn't enough. So he gives her freedom.

Still, at night, Lance lays on their wide bed (his bed) in their big house (his house) and waits. When he closes his eyes, he sees dark hair pooling around him and a soft, almost smile.

He doesn't ask. But he wishes he could.

-o-

("Thank you," she says.

"For what?" he asks, even though they both know.

"It's - a nice house. A very nice house. - We should go see my mother. I still have to thank her for the wedding present."

Lance nods approvingly. "She says you haven't been home in years."

Kris laughs and shakes her head. "No, we're going to visit my mother's house. But home -"

She smiles and puts one hand over her heart. With the other, she takes Lance's hand and puts it over hers.) 


End file.
